Safe Speed Forums

I got thinking about this following on from the Brake thread elsewhere on the forum. I've never used body armour myself and I've heard that it can cause some pretty horrific injuries, so I wanted to know what everyone else thought.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

really where?

I can't imagine how CE approved armour could 'cause' injuries.

I personally make sure all my gear has some sort of armour although I don't wear a back protector (relying on the built in stuff) rightly or wrongly.

Obviously a heavy helmet can cause problems

All my kit has CE approved armour.

I have never heard of CE armour "causing" injuries.

Whether I wear it or not depends on what I am riding and where i am going. If I am on my Sporst Tourer I always wear riding gear with Armour, if i am on the Goldwing I normally do but I was out on it today in jeans and T shirt but only into the town. Off road I don't wear it as I am mostly ppotling on th lanes and accept a few bruises and cracked ribs as par for the course.

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Former Military Police Officer and accident investigator

I used to wear an IXS jacket with all elbow, shoulder and back protectors. Seemed pretty bullet proof. Makes the whole thing a but bulky but OK in the winter.

This is jeans and tee shirt weather. Whats the point of riding if you have to dress up like Judge Dredd in 30 degrees of heat...

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Speed camera policy Kills

Never worn body armour,not in 40 years of motorcycling. I don;t intend to start wearing it any time soon! Have ridden in over 30 countries, on all kinds of terrain with no problems,although most of my motorcycling consists of long distance touring,(Russia bound in 4 weeks time)

TC

I think the type of armour makes a difference. Hard armour that forms a solid cup around joints needs to be a great fit or it could break bones if it moves away from the joint just before impact. I can't imagine that the softer armour favoured now would do harm though.

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Less Kodak, more Kojak.
In times of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

I'll try and see if I can find a copy of it, but the story I heard was about an article in BSH some time ago. It was written by a bloke who was recovering in a spinal injury unit. There were something like 3 or 4 others in there who had suffered spinal breaks and wouldn't walk again. They were all wearing back protectors and the suggestion was that the armour caused the injuries.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

About 3 years ago, a young kid driving to school (!) performed a non-indicated right turn across me. My left knee ploughed into his drivers door. The door was a total write-off. I always wear armour - car door versus kneecap? Fortunately, my armour protected me.

In this heat, I would LOVE to ride in just my shorts and T-shirt but I won't.

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus

Don't get me wrong, I always ride in leathers, even in the heat. It makes me wince to see people riding about in shorts and t-shirts - and SANDLES?! I just don't wear armour.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

Not come across horrific injuries caused by body armour. Could be that the persons who received serious spinal injuries took impacts around the neck - and this caused repercussions along the lenght of the spine - as I understand from listening to Ted and the medics in the family -

Do I wear body armour? Depends on where I ride. But I do ensure it's a good fit as you may as well not bother if fit badly. This weather? I wear my lighter weight leathers on top - but still protect my knee joints .

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Oh cerikey don't start me on this one.
Lads in Cyprus used to ride around exactly like that, just because it was hot
Was sitting chatting to Mrs Rigpig one day over a cool brandy-sour when we heard a horrible 'screeeeechhhing' sound from the road outside. Ran out to see what had happened, chap on a CBR400 had braked on a drainage grille as a couple of kids ran across the road ahead of him. Down he'd gone in his shorts and flip-flops (no shirt), his left side looked like a piece of meat (with gravel)
Stupid is as stupid does...he was an army bloke

Jeeeeeeez I can't believe you are being so anal about it

This is my kind of body armor....

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Speed camera policy Kills

Anal???????

Because I was the one who had to sort out the smashed up bike that was leaking petrol, apply temporary dressings to his gaping wounds whilst not puking up, get someone to calm the kids down and at the same time calm him down to prevent him from going into shock.

Or perhaps I shouldn't have been so anal about helping him and just left him there, it was his decision to go riding a motorcyle near naked on a dusty, gravely where kids were playing

I repeat, he was stupid. Stupid to go out like that and stupid to come off.

Yep...Anal

So we have to get off and walk our bikes when we are near kids or on gravel. Or do we have to dress like mad max just in case somebody else does something stupid.

The vast majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by some body else, as this looks like it was. So why are we stupid.

You said he was stupid to fall off....was that realy the case..

Why do we have to compensate for bad roads, stupid motorists, stupid pedestrians, poor road signs, diesel spills and a hundred other man made preventable hazards.

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Speed camera policy Kills

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Less Kodak, more Kojak.
In times of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

Sorry you will have to explain.

Biker gets hurt when pedestrians run out in front of him causing a panic stop to avoid hitting pedestrians, biker is stupid...

How f*cked up is that.

If it was a cyclist that came off and got shredded through his lycra would he have been stupid as well.

No wonder we end up with STUPID laws in this country.

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Speed camera policy Kills

The cause of the accident is irrelevant. As motorcyclists we know that crashing hurts, no matter what causes it. Most of us try to minimise the liklihood of injury by dressing in clothing that at least provides some form of abrasion protection.

You can shout "freeeeeedom" in a Mel Gibson-stylee until you're also blue in the face. That won't change the fact that, as vulnerable road users, it behoves us to take precautions to prevent injury if someone else does something stupid.

I'm sure you've heard this before:

Here lies the body of William Jay,
Who died maintaining his right of way---
He was right, dead right, as he sped along,
But he's just as dead as if he were wrong."

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Less Kodak, more Kojak.
In times of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

Nope.

But I will ride what I want, where I want, wearing what I want.

That's the freedom I believe in, and thats why I ride.

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Speed camera policy Kills

And if you have an accident and incur injuries purely because you chose not to wear protective clothing some people will choose to say you were stupid.